Buying the tools you need is half the fun. Same with mechanical repairs (although I wouldn't try rebuilding a transmission). You can pull a dent out and finish it off with filler and paint and get the satisfaction that you did it yourself. That's one of the nice things about owning an older car with problems: it gives you an opportunity to hone your repair skills without having to worry much about the outcome.
The other stuff you mentioned (a dent and a mirror) is hardly worth mentioning because it's cosmetic and also because both things could be fixed for as little as $50 (installing the mirror yourself and either ignoring or fixing the dent yourself). With a replaced tranny, I could probably get another 4 years out of the car (at a miniscule average cost of about $1/day). And even though the car is probably barely worth that on the open market, I'd probably still do it because $1500 today just isn't a lot of money compared to the cost of another car to replace it. Here, I could have my tranny rebuilt for around $1500. I would probably do it for my Taurus because I bought it new and it's never taken a hit or had any other problems. It would depend on the shape of the rest of the car and its history. Would I put a replacement tranny into a Ford Taurus/Sable with 156K miles? I dunno. I'm thinking it's going to go my requisite 200K (making it a success in my opinion). Yes, the tranny is "soft", but the car is otherwise in very good shape. In fact, if you had done this it would've uncovered the hidden fee (or got you out of paying it in the end).Īs far as your trade-in goes, 156K might sound like a lot of miles to you, but my '97 Taurus wagon is about to turn 160K. You can even use my FAX method with a used car. You can even shop around the "overall price" (including fees) to other sales locations - although with a used car it's a little harder to compare apples to apples, obviously. And you can still ask about fees - for a new or used car - because (as you found out) they can make up a fee for any reason (in order to reel you in by giving you a price that really isn't the final price). You just don't mention the trade-in during negotiation of the purchase price for the replacement car - whether it's a new or used car (or whether the trade-in car runs like a top, has extensive damage, or is a burned wreck). my motto is 'Buy New and Hold'), but ALL of what I said still applies for a used car purchase. Well, you're right - what I described is what I do to buy a NEW car (I buy all my cars new. In fact, when I walk into the dealership, it's usually the first time, with an agreed-upon price in hand, ready to buy the vehicle. This works very well for me and eliminates any surprises. What I do is FAX offers to dealers, and on my form I have very explicit instructions for them to detail any "fees" that they might charge in their counter-offer. You're going to be shopping the "out-the-door" price, so don't be concerned about fees. The car could be $5 with $10,000 worth of fees - it doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter how many fees there are or what the salesman says they're for, they're just part of the overall price of the vehicle. This overall number, whatever is it, is what you'll be paying. When negotiating the price, ask explicitly if there are any "fees" to be tacked on. Salespeople don't like this "tactic", but it's the only way to make sure they're not ripping you off (which is what their intent is). You bring the trade-in into the discussion AFTER you've settled on a purchase price. If the salesman asks if you have a trade-in, always say 'no'. Any time you buy a car from any place, never include your trade-in into the negotiation of the price for the replacement car.
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